Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Turin born voice actor Glauco Onorato died today December 31st of a serious disease. He was 73 years old. Onorato died at Saint Camillo's Hospital in Rome. Glauco was the son of actor Giovanni Onorato [1910-1960]. Onorato was the Italian voice of actors such as Bud Spencer, Charles Bronson, and Arnold Shwarzenegger in “Terminator”. He worked on several comedies of Eduardo De Filippo in the decade of the '60s. Onorato also appeared in several films and soap opears over the years. His last film appearance was in the 2008 film “Chi nasce tondo” as Padre Ignazio.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Garfield Morgan, the actor best know for playing Frank Haskins in The Sweeney, died December 5, 2009, after a battle with cancer.

He was well known for his role as the boss of John Thaw and Dennis Waterman (Reagan and Carter respectively) in the iconic television series about the police flying squad.

Later in life, he appeared as Supt. Mason in a couple of Minder episodes, again with Waterman, and in the feature length film Minder on the Orient Express.

Pre-Sweeney, he took parts in Z-Cars, Softly Softly, and character roles in The Avengers, The Baron, The Saint and Man in a Suitcase.

Sitcom roles afterwards included Shelley, Thora Hird 's fellow Salvation Army officer in Hallelujah!, Tim Brooke-Taylor's boss in You Must Be the Husband and Labour Party whip Norman in No Job for a Lady, starring Penelope Keith as a female MP. He also took one-off parts in Lovejoy, Heartbeat , Holby City and The Bill.

He was born in Birmingham in 1931 and began his working life as an apprentice dental mechanic but decided to leave for acting and trained at drama school. He took to acting and directing for the stage, becoming director of productions at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. He was also closely associated with the Library Theatre in Manchester, Northcott Theatre in Exeter and Nottingham Playhouse.

A little-known role was the narration for four Rick Wakeman albums and he appeared with the musician in live performances.

Away from performing, he was a keen eventer and show jumper, and was also secretary of the Stage Golfing Society.

Garfield Morgan was married briefly to actress and writer Dilys Laye , famous for the Carry On films.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Casting director known for empathyAnne Constable | The New MexicanPosted: Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Shari Swofford Rhodes, a casting director for the film industry for 30 years, died Sunday at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center after a long struggle with cancer. She was 71.

Rhodes cast such movies as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Silverado, Tender Mercies and Terms of Endearment. She had been working in Albuquerque casting television series such as Crash, Breaking Bad and In Plain Sight. She was especially proud of being able to co-produce the 1991 movie The Man in the Moon, which was written by her friend Jenny Wingfield.

Michael Miller, an actor, producer and director (and Santa Fe High School graduate) who took a couple of workshops with Rhodes, said, "She had an eye. She could spot raw talent across the room."

Miller, who said, "She probably put me in a couple of roles I didn't earn myself," noted that Rhodes was the person who cast Reese Witherspoon in her first movie role in The Man in the Moon.

"I think she had an empathy for actors and for people in general," Miller said.

At the time of her death, he said, they were working with producers Bill Gilmore (Jaws) and Dorothea Petrie on a movie called Stray Hearts.

Phalia Blassingame said Rhodes, her sister, moved to Santa Fe from Los Angeles about three years ago. "She came on to visit (a niece), fell in love with it. She was happier in New Mexico than any place she'd ever been. It was a real happy time for her," Blassingame said.

Rhodes will be buried in Paris, Texas, next to her daughter, Stacy Rhodes Resch, who died in an auto accident in 1988. A celebration of Shari Rhodes' life will be held at a later date.

In addition to her daughter, she was preceded in death by her father, Jewell Doyle Swofford, her brother, Timothy Clark Swofford, and a sister, Robin Swofford Engels.

She is survived by her mother, Elsie Julian of Paris, Texas; son Kenneth Doyle Rhodes of Los Angeles; sisters Phalia Blassingame and husband Jim of Paris, Texas, and Judy Young and husband Charles of Athens, Ga.; brother Mark Swofford of Portland, Ore.; nieces Susan Young of Santa Fe and Jennifer Walsh of Athens, Ga.; and nephews Wade and Mark Blassingame of Paris, Texas, among other relatives.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Beatrice Gray was born Bertice Kimbrough on March 3, 1911, on a farm six miles from Carthage, Illinois. She got her start as a showgirl in nightclubs and on Broadway. Her first acting job was “New Faces of 1935”. She came to California in 1937 and appeared in RKO's “New Faces of 1937”. She worked as a dancer with Busby Berkeley and others.

Most of her westerns were done at Monogram. She appeared in three Bob Steele/Hoot Gibson co-starring films “Utah Kid”, “Marked Trails” and “Trigger Law”. Many of a Grays' other acting credits were at Universal where she filmed “Wild Heritage” ('58).

Beatrice Gray is the mother of Billy Gray who became Bud Anderson on the 1950's TV series “Father Knows Best”.

Beatrice Gray passed away of natural causes at the age of 98 on November 25, 2009.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Giulio Bosetti was born on December 26, 1930 in Bergamo Lombardy, Italy. He spent most of his acting career on the stage as both an actor and director. He occassionally appeared in films and made his only Eurowestern as Captain Gomez in the 1963 film “The Sign of Zorro. Giulio was active in film since his screen appearance in “Morgan the Pirate (1960) until his final appearance in “Il divo” (2008) in between he made over 30 film and TV appearances. He died on December 24th in Berceto, Italy two days short of his 80th birthday.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Film and stage actress Milena Dvorska died suddenly on Tuesday, December 22 in her Prague apartment. As Little Dvorsky Maruska was famous for her roles as the youngest and most humble of the three royal daughters in the film “Borivoj Zeman” in 1954. Her successful debut and portrayal changed her life. She left school in 1956 and exchanged her dream of working in the medical profession for one as an actress in the Prague Theater. After her sudies in theater and graduation she became a member of the Prague Burian Theater where she worked until 1991. Along with theater and film work Milena was also a voice dubber for foreign films into the Czechoslovakian language.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Marianne Stone was destined to become one of Britain’s busiest and most effective character actresses the moment she left RADA, with the prestigious Gertrude Lawrence Award for Character Acting under her arm. She did not disappoint and during more than 50 years in the profession notched up hundreds of stage and screen appearances.

Although rarely offered more than pint-sized roles, with few lines to match, she made an impact with her presence alone, becoming a popular face within the industry. A resourceful actress, Stone was capable of playing more substantial roles than those offered, but was content specialising in cameos because it fitted in with her family life. Admitting that she never regarded acting as a career, just a “pleasurable extra”, she made a living portraying waitresses, barmaids, shop assistants and other working-class roles. She worked for many of the most celebrated film directors of the day, including the Boulting Brothers, who employed her in several productions, such as the 1950 thriller, Seven Days to Noon.

Playing a woman in a phone box, Stone remembered the film with mixed feelings. After finishing a night shoot in London, the cast headed to a café for a full English breakfast. Exhausted, and pregnant with her first daughter, Stone tagged along but fell violently ill and spent two hours sprawled across the back seat of Roy Boulting’s car while she recovered.

Marianne Stone was born in King’s Cross, London, in 1922, and was raised by her grandparents, who owned several furniture shops in the area. From a musical household, her grandmother also ran her own music school, with more than 100 pupils. Although Stone won a music scholarship to the Camden School for Girls, followed by a place at the Royal College of Music, she harboured dreams of becoming an actress, but before achieving her goal, she studied shorthand and typing and worked as a bank clerk.

Life as an office worker was short-lived: she won a London County Council scholarship to RADA in 1940 and after graduating, Stone gained valuable experience as assistant stage manager at the Intimate Theatre, Palmers Green, London. She made her West End debut in 1945, in The King Maker and, two years later, made her first screen appearance as a shop assistant in the Betty Box-produced When the Bough Breaks. By the end of 1947 she had played a peppery waitress in Brighton Rock and appeared with husband-to-be, Peter Noble, in Escape Dangerous. Film offers were soon rolling in: she played a WAAF in the war film, Angels One Five, a distressed woman in Private’s Progress, a secretary in Quatermass II, a nurse in Hell Drivers and a tea-bar attendant in Just My Luck, while in Person Unknown she shared top billing for the one and only time.

Reflecting on her performance as Mrs Cusick, Stone remarked: “It was a good role, but one of the few because most of my other jobs were simply bits and pieces.” Playing cameo roles meant she moved quickly between films and was able to clock up a staggering 13 films in 1963 alone.

Stone appeared in nine Carry on films, beginning with her role as Alice Able in Carry on Nurse. The producer Peter Rogers would always try to find a part for Stone, while the director Gerald Thomas described her as “very eloquent and good in her roles”.

But her favourite job on the big screen was Vivian Darkbloom in Lolita, the story of a middle-aged lecturer who falls in love with a 14-year-old girl and marries her mother to be near his sweetheart. The American character actress Shelley Winters, who was staying with Stone during filming, helped her to secure the part. Winters told Stone that the director Stanley Kubrick was searching for someone to play Vivian, so donning a long black wig, black shiny raincoat, black stockings and plenty of heavy black make-up, she went along to see Kubrick. Suitably impressed, he offered her the role.

Marianne Stone remained in high demand until the 1980s and subsequently continued to make occasional television appearance in shows such as Bless This House, Secret Army, Return of the Saint and The Nineteenth Hole.

Her husband, the film critic Peter Noble, predeceased her. She is survived by two daughters.

Marianne Stone, actress, was born on August 23, 1922. She died on December 21, 2009, aged 87

Arnold Stang, a character actor whose bespectacled, owlish face and nasal urban twang gave him a singular and recognizable persona, whether on radio or television, in the movies or in advertisements, or even in cartoons, died on Sunday in Newton, Mass. He was 91 and lived in Needham, Mass.

The cause was pneumonia, said his son, David.

Mr. Stang considered himself a dramatic actor who could play serious roles. But even he was aware that with his signature heavy glasses and a manner that could be eagerly solicitous, despondently whiny or dare-you-to-hit-me pugnacious, his forte was comedy.

Like Wally Cox, who was a friend, and Don Knotts, Mr. Stang was a natural for roles requiring a milquetoast, a pest or a nerd. At 5 foot 3 and never much more than 100 pounds, he once said of himself, “I look like a frightened chipmunk who’s been out in the rain too long.” And in a story he frequently told, after an auto accident in 1959 that left him needing extensive plastic surgery, he said to the doctor, “For God’s sake, don’t make me look pretty.”

His memorable moments as an actor were oddly varied signposts of popular culture. He was the spokesman for Chunky, the candy bar, in the 1950s, delivering the slogan: “Chunky! What a chunk o’ chocolate!”

In Otto Preminger’s 1955 film about drug addiction, “The Man With the Golden Arm,” he played Frank Sinatra’s pal Sparrow in a performance that is often cited as a precursor of Dustin Hoffman’s turn as Ratso Rizzo in “Midnight Cowboy.”

On “Top Cat,” the animated television series of the early 1960s, he was the voice of T. C., a k a Top Cat himself, the leader of a mischievous cat gang. (The character was based on Phil Silvers’s Sergeant Bilko.)

He was one of two gas station attendants (Marvin Kaplan was the other) who witness the destruction of their station by Jonathan Winters in the 1963 lunatic film comedy “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”

Most sources indicate that Mr. Stang was born in Chelsea, Mass., in 1925, but according to his family, though he had relatives in Chelsea, he was born in Manhattan on Sept. 28, 1918. His father was a lawyer until the 1929 stock market crash and earned a living afterward as a salesman.

The Chelsea story was one Mr. Stang perpetuated himself; he told interviewers that he got his first job in radio in 1934 at age 9 after he wrote to “Let’s Pretend,” a New York children’s radio show, and asked for an audition. Told he could audition when he was next in New York, he took the bus from Boston, alone, the following Saturday and was hired.

“We were married 60 years and I never managed to get him to correct that,” his wife, JoAnne Stang, said in an interview Monday.

The truth, Ms. Stang said, was that her husband grew up mostly in Brooklyn and graduated from New Utrecht High School. He wrote the note asking for an audition from Brooklyn, and he was older than 9.

He began his show business career as a teenager — his first radio appearances were on the shows “The Horn and Hardart Children’s Hour” and “Let’s Pretend” — and he went on to perform on dozens of radio programs in the 1930s and ’40s, including soap operas, mysteries and comedies, and was often called on to play more than one role.

He was probably best known at the time for “The Goldbergs,” the long-running family series set in Bronx on which he played the character Seymour Fingerhood, the teenage neighbor to the title family, and later as a sidekick to stars like Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny and especially Milton Berle.

Mr. Stang was a regular on “The Henry Morgan Show,” a showcase for Morgan’s astringent satire, often playing a complaining, goofball New Yorker named Gerard who traded banter and one-liners with the host. After Berle moved his radio show to television, Mr. Stang appeared from 1953 to 1955, bringing along his character, Francis, a pain-in-the-neck stagehand who bugged the star relentlessly.

In addition to his wife, whom he married in 1949 (Wally Cox, a skilled goldsmith, made their wedding rings, she said), and his son, who lives in Cambridge, Mass., Mr. Stang is survived by a daughter, Deborah Stang, of Brighton, Mass., and two granddaughters.

Mr. Stang landed on Broadway three times, the last being a revival of “The Front Page” in 1969. He was a regular on the 1960s comedy “Broadside,” a short-lived, distaff version of “McHale’s Navy,” and was a guest star on numerous series, including “Bonanza,” “Batman” and “The Cosby show.”

He was also the voice of many cartoon characters, including Nurtle the Turtle in the 1965 film “Pinocchio in Outer Space.” Other film credits include Otto Preminger’s 1968 gangster comedy “Skidoo,” with Jackie Gleason; “Hercules in New York” (1970), a comedy with Arnold Schwarzenegger; and “Dennis the Menace” (1993), with Walter Matthau.

“He loved the cartoons, and he liked doing commercials, too,” Ms. Stang said of her husband. “But most of all, he loved radio. It offered him such a span of roles.”

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Boomhead is reporting on its Facebook page that actress Connie Hines, best remembered by legions of television fans as Carol Post—the spouse of architect Wilbur Post (Alan Young), who owned the talking horse known as Mister Ed in the 1961-66 sitcom of the same name. I’ve not been able to locate an online obituary as of this posting, but according to TSOD this has been confirmed by Stu Shostak at Shokus (“Stu” being the host of the radio interview series Stu’s Show). She was 79.

Born in Dedham, MA in 1931, Hines’ future career, it could be said, was decided for her as her father was an acting coach/teacher in Boston and her mother an actress as well. She married at age 17 and with her husband moved to Miami to join a stock company (after proving herself both onstage and on radio), and after her divorce, later went to New York to study with the famed Helen Hayes Equity Group. By age 22 she had moved to California and rented an apartment, quickly finding work on an episode of the series Whirlybirds.

Hines considered her role as Mrs. Post as little more than a paycheck since the sitcom revolved more around the relationship between husband Wilbur and the chatty mare who spoke only to his master. Her movie resume was a bit thin (the IMDb lists only Thunder in Carolina [1960], a low-budget stock car racing film in which she co-starred with Rory Calhoun and Alan “Skipper” Hale, Jr.) but she was most assuredly a familiar face on the cathode ray tube with guest shots on series such as Bronco, The Millionaire, M Squad, Johnny Ringo, The Untouchables, Shotgun Slade, Perry Mason, Sea Hunt, Bonanza and The Mod Squad.

Hines retired from acting in 1971 and made occasional appearances at conventions alongside her television better half, Alan Young. Though her role on Ed was thankless, she and Young did have a marvelous chemistry and were good chums both on and off-screen.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Charles “Charlie” Davis, a professional actor and director who was prominent in the local arts scene in Thousand Oaks, has died. He was 84.

Davis, who had lived in Thousand Oaks since 1965, died at his home on Saturday, according to his family. He’s believed to have suffered a heart attack.

“He was still teaching acting classes and had taught on Saturday afternoon and was fine,” said his son-in-law, Jon Gordon. “He came home and collapsed without warning.”

Davis taught acting classes at The Actors and Singers Studio in Thousand Oaks, which he co-founded with his daughter, Maripat Davis.

Davis, who was born in the Republic of Ireland, began his acting career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He came to the United States as a young man after being cast to play the leprechaun in a Broadway production of the musical “Finian’s Rainbow.”

Following his success in New York and in a national touring production, Davis headed west to Hollywood, where in the 1950s and early 1960s he appeared in TV shows and movies.

From the 1970s onward, his principal focus was writing, directing and producing documentary features.

In 1984, Davis, a longtime active Democrat, ran for Congress as a first-time candidate after no better-known Democrats stepped forward to challenge Republican incumbent Bobbi Fiedler in the 21st District, which at that time covered most of Ventura County. Davis won the Democratic Primary but lost to Fiedler in the November election.

Davis served on the Thousand Oaks Arts Commission and was involved with the Conejo Players Theater, where he directed a revival of “Finian’s Rainbow” in 2006 to mark the original production’s 40th anniversary.

“Charlie was always very generous with his time,” Gordon said. “He was just an absolutely engaging personality.”

Davis is survived by his wife of 59 years, actress Marilyn O’Connor, son Blaine O’Connor, his daughter Maripat Davis and son-in-law Jon Gordon, and grandson Patrick Gordon-Davis.

The family said plans are pending for a memorial service and celebration of Davis’ life.

In a statement, the trustees and staff of the Norton Simon Museum acknowledged a "deep sense of loss" with Simon's death. Simon served as chair of the Norton Simon Museum from 1989 and became chair emeritus in 2003.

"Jennifer Jones Simon enjoyed an illustrious film career," Norton Simon Museum President Walter W. Timoshuk said in a statement. "Another important legacy is her leadership role in the Norton Simon Museum, where she initiated the Museum's celebrated gallery renovation by architect Frank Gehry and spearheaded the development of the Museum's public programming and outreach initiatives."

Jennifer Jones Simon, née Phylis Lee Isley, was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 2, 1919. She studied drama and speech at the Benedictine school, Monte Cassino Junior College, then spent a year as a drama student at Northwestern University.

She then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where she met her first husband, Robert Hudson Walker, who later starred in such films as One Touch of Venus, Strangers on a Train, and My Son John. They married in 1939 and had two sons, Robert Walker and the late Michael Walker. They divorced in 1945.

In the early 1940s, Jennifer Jones came to Hollywood where her screen test for David O. Selznick - the legendary producer of "Gone with the Wind," "Rebecca" and others - resulted in a film contract. Jones married Selznick in 1949 and the couple had one child, the late Mary Jennifer Selznick.

For her first major movie role, Jones received the 1944 Academy Award for best actress in "The Song of Bernadette."

She went on to star in many other films, including "Duel in the Sun," 1946; "Beat the Devil," 1953; and "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing," 1955. Her final film appearance was a 1974 cameo role in "The Towering Inferno."

Several years after David O. Selznick's death in 1965, Several years after David O. Selznick's death in 1965, Jennifer Jones met California industrialist and celebrated art collector Norton W. Simon. After a four-week romance, they married on May 30, 1971. After Norton Simon's death in 1993, Mrs. Simon became involved with the operations of the Norton Simon Museum and, as Chairman of the Board, worked with other Trustees to increase the Museum's programming and public outreach. Most notably, Simon collaborated with renowned architect Frank O. Gehry on the renovation of the museum's galleries, which was completed in 1999.

Simon is survived by her son, Robert Walker, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions can be made to the Norton Simon Museum or the Hereditary Disease Foundation

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Roy Edward Disney, a longtime Disney executive credited for breathing new life into the storied company's animation departments, has passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 79, after a long battle with cancer.

Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, successfully led a revolt against the standing guard at Disney, unseating two of Disney's chief executives and ensuring Disney's place in the animation world would not be lost.

Aided by a large financial fortune built up as a successful financier in the 1970s and 1980s, Disney helped force out the sitting managers at Disney, whom he felt had grown too staid, and installed the successful management team of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

At Disney's urging, the company returned to animation, releasing The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, re-establishing the company as one of the leaders in animation.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Actor Dan Barton died Sunday, December 13, in Sherman Oaks, California, at the age of 88.

Barton, who had been ill for several months, died of heart failure and kidney disease.Barton started his acting career as a teenager in the 1930s on Skippy, a radio series that originated out of Chicago.

During World War II, he became a member of an Army Special Services Entertainment Unit providing entertainment for troops in the European arena.

Returning home after the war he settled in New York where he appeared in a number of Broadway stage productions and met his future wife, actress Anne Henderson.

Barton joined the road company of the successful Broadway stage production "Mr. Roberts" appearing on stage alongside Cliff Robertson, Lee Van Cleef and Brian Keith. He migrated to Los Angeles where in 1949, he married Ann, who passed away in 2000, and studied with the noted German director, Max Reinhardt.

Barton soon began working in television appearing on shows as diverse as the highly acclaimed Playhouse 90 and the sci-fi Battle Star Galactica. He played in dozens of series such as Bonanza, Ironsides, Zane Grey Theatre, The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files and The F.B.I. For the past twenty-plus years he has been doing the narration in documentaries and commercials for companies such as Northrup Aviation and Nike.

Barton was also the radio and television voice of many political messages for office seekers, including prominent Republicans such Arnold Schwartzenegger and Elizabrth Dole, among others.

In a twist of irony Barton, who was a life-long Democrat, once admitted that like all actors he was sometimes forced to play roles with which he heartily disagreed.He is survived two children from his first marriage, his son, musician Steve Barton, daughter Susan Berman, granddaughter Julia McAnuff, his brother, Dr. Walter Berman and his current wife, Gyl Roland, the daughter of Gilbert Roland and Constance Bennet. Services are pending.

Val Avery, whose craggy features and threatening aura ensured him nearly 50 years of work playing tough guys on both sides of the law in dozens of television series and films like "Hud," "Hombre" and several directed by John Cassavetes, died Saturday at his home in Greenwich Village. He was 85.

The death was confirmed by his daughter, Margot Avery.

Mr. Avery, who started out in live television and broke into film in "The Harder They Fall" (1956), Humphrey Bogart's last movie, found a rewarding niche playing cops, thugs, Mafia kingpins and mean bosses, although in "The Magnificent Seven," John Sturges's classic 1960 western, he appeared as a traveling corset salesman.

Mr. Avery played the Mafia psychopath Socks Parelli in the Sidney Lumet caper film "The Anderson Tapes" (1971) and the Mafia godfather who cuts off Eric Roberts's thumb in "The Pope of Greenwich Village" (1984). He also made frequent guest appearances on "The Fugitive," "Gunsmoke," "Columbo" and other television series.

In all, he made more than a hundred films and appeared on television more than 300 times in series and dramas. "In the early years, there were times when it was rough, times when I thought of packing it in, and then a job would open up," he told The Daily News in 1999. "And it would lead to another and another and another, until I had a career and a life."

Mr. Avery was born Sebouh Der Abrahamian on July 14, 1924, in Philadelphia. He acted in productions of the Armenian Youth Theater and, after serving as an Army flight instructor during World War II, enrolled in the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama in Philadelphia.

In 1953, he married the actress Margot Stevenson, who survives him, along with their daughter.

On moving to Manhattan, Mr. Avery began working in live television, which led to roles in western and crime series and steady work in film. He appeared with Paul Newman as the ranch hand José in "Hud" (1963) and the stationmaster Delgado in "Hombre" (1967); as a police inspector in "The Laughing Policeman" (1973); and as the gangster Trafficante in "Donnie Brasco" (1997).

After Cassavetes directed him in five episodes of the television series "Johnny Staccato," he cast him as Frielobe in "Too Late Blues" (1961). Mr. Avery later worked with Cassavetes in "Faces" (1968), "Minnie and Moskowitz" (1971), "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976) and "Gloria" (1980).

Mr. Avery slipped out of his usual groove from time to time. Sidney Poitier, with whom he had worked in "Edge of the City" (1957), cast him as a bumbling police lieutenant in "Let's Do It Again" (1975), and he played a dentist who invents a superglue in an episode of "The Odd Couple" on television and the boss at an upholstery factory in the Cheech and Chong film "Up in Smoke" (1978).

Somewhat to his own surprise, he found himself on an Off Broadway stage in 1998 playing a beloved Italian grandfather in "Over the River and Through the Woods."

That was an aberration in a career devoted to menace. While filming "Russian Roulette" Mr. Avery prevailed on the director to strip every line of dialogue from his role so that he could simply project wordless malevolence as a Russian dissident planning an assassination.

The temptation to slip back into character was, it seems, irresistible. At the Lion's Head, a Greenwich Village tavern where he often drank with Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk, he enjoyed fixing innocent customers with a look and then saying, "I'll eat your liver."

Monday, December 14, 2009

Stocker Fontelieu, the New Orleans theater legend whose 60-year career included a stint as executive director of Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre and directing and acting roles at numerous local theatres, died Monday. He was 86.

Mr. Fontelieu’s health had been failing in recent months, after suffering a fall. He was receiving care at Covenant Nursing Home, where he died.

A New Orleans native who attended New Orleans Academy and Tulane University, Mr. Fontelieu was best known for his 24-year career as executive director of Le Petit, which spanned from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Fontelieu told former Times-Picayune theater writer David Cuthbert (now a reviewer for WYES-TV' "Steppin' Out") that one of his most memorable nights as Le Petit’s manager was the 1977 visit playwright Tennessee Williams paid to a rehearsal of his "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the theater.

"The stage manager whispered to me, ‘Look over your shoulder,’ and there was Tennessee with a few friends," Fontelieu said in a 2003 interview. "‘Just keep the play going,’ he said. ‘Do your job.’

A frequent commercial and movie actor, Mr. Fontelieu’s face and voice were familiar to New Orleanians from TV and film roles as an actor and announcer, even if his name was not. But it is his direction behind the scenes for which friends and colleagues remember him most fondly.

By the time he retired in 2006, Mr. Fontelieu had appeared in nearly 150 plays and directed 340 productions, at various local theatres, including Gallery Circle Theatre (where he served as executive director), Bayou Dinner Theater and Rivertown Repertory Theater.

His career was profiled in a 2007 authorized biography by local actor/playwright and theater historian Michael Cahill, with the clever title, "Just Who is Stocker Fontelieu Anyway?"

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Bryan O'Byrne, a character actor in film and on television for more than four decades, died Dec. 4 in Pacifica, Calif. He was 78.

O'Byrne often appeared as quiet, milquetoast characters. In the 1960s, he played Hodgkins, an assistant to the Chief, on five episodes of "Get Smart" and as Man-in-Middle in three episodes on "Occasional Wife."

O'Byrne also appeared on TV in "Step by Step," "Murder, She Wrote," "Hardcastle and McCormick," "Alice," "Eight Is Enough," "Maude," "Happy Days," "The Bob Newhart Show," "The Partridge Family," "Love, American Style," "Gunsmoke," "Sanford and Son," "The Munsters," "My Favorite Martian," "Bewitched," "The Virginian," "Perry Mason," "The Fugitive" and "Batman," among others.

His film credits included "Gunfight in Abilene" (1967), "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again" (1979), "Love at First Bite" (1979), "Spaceballs" (1987) and "Repossessed" (1990).

O'Byrne, a native of Plattsburgh, N.Y., who worked as school teacher before acting, was featured in more than 200 commercials and served on the Emmy nominating committee. He was a member of SAG, AFTRA and Equity.

O'Byrne started his career in New York, appearing on stage in the late 1950s with Vivien Leigh in "Duel of Angels," before moving to Hollywood.

O'Byrne also was an acting coach who worked with Nick Nolte, Christopher McDonald, Pam Dawber, Bonnie Bedilia, Marj Dusay and Bill Allen.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

I have been personally agonizing over how to start this letter. I guess I will start by saying thank you. Thank you for the years of love, support, prayers and loyalty to the Rogers Family. You, the fans, and our Board of Directors, are the ones who have kept our family's museum going for over 42 years. It has been a wonderful ride. After millions of visitors and countless stories of what Roy and Dale have meant to you, the Board of Directors have voted to close our doors of the Museum at the end of 2009. This has not been an easy decision. Many very emotional and financial issues have been addressed by all of us, as you can well imagine.

The decision to close the Museum has come after two years of steady decline in visitors to the Museum. A lot of factors have made our decision for us. The economy for one, people are just not traveling as much. Dad's fans are getting older, and concerned about their retirement funds. Everyone is concerned about their future in this present economy. Secondly, with our high fiscal obligations we cannot continue to accumulate debt to keep the doors open.This situation is one I have not wanted to happen. Dad always said- “If the museum starts costing you money, then liquidate everything and move on.” Myself and my family have tried to hold together the Museum and collection for over 15 years, so it is very difficult to think that it will all be gone soon.

What will happen to Roy Rogers, Jr and his family? For those of you that have heard I am retiring, nothing could be farther from the truth. My company, Golden Stallion, and its show tribute to Roy and Dale, will continue. I plan on taking the show to another venue in Branson. We are looking for space now. The show will also be available to travel around the country and take the message of Roy and Dale wherever we travel. I feel that this country needs the message that Roy and Dale always put forth, not only in their professional lives, but in their private lives as well.

The Museum's last day of operation will be December 12th. We want everyone to have the opportunity to visit the Museum one last time to see the collection in its entirety. This will be your last chance to see Roy and Dale's collection. Tell your friends and encourage them to come, before we close. This will be your final chance!!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Remember, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans will live forever in our hearts and minds, and will continue to ride across the silver screen through their movies. Every time you think of Roy and Dale, that warm feeling you have always felt, will always return.

Watch our website for further announcements and special dates.

I leave you all with Dad's favorite saying- Good bye, Good luck, and may the good Lord take a likin' to ya! See you in Branson, or on the road.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Gene Barry, 90, a debonair leading man who was best known as the sharply dressed lawmen of the TV series "Bat Masterson" and "Burke's Law" and then earned a Tony Award nomination as a gay nightclub owner raising a son in "La Cage aux Folles," died Dec. 9 at an assisted living home in Woodland Hills, Calif. His family said they did not yet know the cause of death.

After an early stage career that included acting opposite Mae West in a Broadway comedy, Mr. Barry went to Hollywood and starred in a series of films that included the 1953 alien-invasion movie "The War of the Worlds." But it was on television that he thrived over the next 20 years, usually specializing in affable and urbane characters.

He had a recurring role as a physical education teacher who romances Eve Arden on CBS's "Our Miss Brooks" before earning top billing on "Bat Masterson" for NBC in 1958

At first weary of what he thought was the tiresome Western genre, Mr. Barry embraced the role of Masterson, based on a real-life figure from the Old West, because of its biggest twist: The character dressed as a dandy, sporting a brocade vest and carrying a gold-tipped cane. The show ran until 1961.

Mr. Barry's affinity for playing the dapper hero extended to two other TV shows: "Burke's Law," in which he played a millionaire police official in Los Angeles who would be chauffeured to homicide scenes in a Rolls Royce, and "The Name of the Game," in which he portrayed a millionaire magazine publisher.

"Burke's Law" was producer Aaron Spelling's first hit, with the title character's opulent lifestyle a hint at what would come in Spelling's later series. "Burke's Law," later renamed "Amos Burke, Secret Agent," aired on ABC from 1963 to 1966 and resurfaced as a short-lived revival on CBS in 1994 with Mr. Barry.

"The Name of the Game" aired on NBC from 1968 to 1971, with the story line of Mr. Barry's character, a publishing mogul, rotating with those of journalists played by Robert Stack and Anthony Franciosa.

Mr. Barry said he became wary of being typecast. "Each time, they'd want to see me dressed up -- with the girls, the style, the power," he told The Washington Post in 1982. "Each time I'd say to my agent, 'Can't you get me a part of a vulnerable human being?' I was operating on 20 percent of the spectrum."

A longtime cabaret and touring stage performer, Mr. Barry played President Richard M. Nixon in a 1982 Atlanta production of "Watergate: A Musical." The next year he originated the Broadway role of Georges in "La Cage aux Folles," a Jerry Herman musical based on a French stage play.

"I'm not playing a homosexual," Mr. Barry told the New York Times. "I'm playing a person who cares deeply about another person. The role is loving another person onstage. It doesn't matter whether it's a man, a woman or a giraffe. It has nothing to do with sexuality, as far as I'm concerned. I play the dignity of the man, his concern for his lover, and his concern and love for his son."

In a review in the Times, critic Frank Rich called Mr. Barry's contributions to the musical "invaluable," praising him for singing two ballads "with such modest simplicity and warmth that we never question their sincerity." The show won the Tony for best musical.

Born Eugene Klass on June 14, 1919, in New York, he changed his surname as a nod to eminent stage actor John Barrymore. He made his Broadway debut in 1942 and appeared in musicals and operettas before being cast as a leading man opposite West in "Catherine Was Great" (1944).

During this period Mr. Barry met his wife of 58 years, Betty Kalb. She died in 2003. Survivors include three children, Michael Barry and F. James Barry, both of Topanga, Calif., and Elizabeth "Liza" Barry of Los Anegles; two sisters; a brother; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Although "The War of the Worlds," based on the H.G. Wells novel, remained Mr. Barry's best-known screen role, he said it was not his favorite. "How could it be?" he told an interviewer. "It was just acting to special effects all over the place. We never knew where we were in that. The director would say, at this point this monster or whatever special effect . . . react to it. You didn't know if the special effect was going to be good. It so happened that they were, and it won the Academy Award for special effects that year."

Mr. Barry twice worked under director Sam Fuller, in "Forty Guns" and "China Gate" (both 1957), the latter an early look at the growing conflict in Vietnam. He said that Fuller "showed me how to bring vitality and a physical presence to my performances" and that led directly to his starring roles on television.

Mr. Barry played a murderous psychiatrist in "Prescription: Murder," the 1968 TV movie that kicked off Peter Falk's career as Lt. Columbo. In addition, Mr. Barry was the voice behind commercials for such products as Miller beer and Haggar menswear.

His career veered into the political sphere as well. He campaigned on behalf of Democrats and was with Sen. Robert F. Kennedy the night the presidential candidate was assassinated in Los Angeles in 1968.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Warren Vanderschuit, 79, a character actor who appeared in the John Wayne film "Rooster Cogburn" and dozens of TV westerns and who had an impressive athletic career as a young man in Los Angeles, died Nov. 27 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena after battling lung cancer, his family said.

Using the stage name Warren Vanders and often playing villains, he had numerous roles in TV westerns, including "Empire" (as Chuck Davis), "The Big Valley," "Bonanza," "Daniel Boone," "Alias Smith and Jones," "Gunsmoke," "Kung Fu," "Nevada Smith" and "How the West Was Won," as well as the big-screen western "Hot Lead and Cold Feet" and others.

Born Warren John Vanderschuit in San Fernando on May 23, 1930, he served in the Navy during the Korean War and boxed for Navy teams. After the war he continued boxing in the Golden Gloves program, capturing the 1954 Southern California light-heavyweight title in a tournament at the Hollywood Legion Stadium sponsored by The Times.

He also was a standout quarterback for what was then Pepperdine College from 1954 to 1956. Meanwhile, he was studying drama, and when injuries ended his football prospects he turned to acting in film, TV and on stage, as well as to teaching in local schools.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

A publicist for Aaron Schroeder says the 84-year-old died Tuesday. Dale Olson said Schroeder had been suffering from a form of Alzheimer's disease.

Olson says Schroeder was credited with writing 2,000 songs and wrote several hits for Presley, including "Stuck on You" and "A Big Hunk O' Love." But the biggest song was "It's Now or Never."

Schroeder was more than just Presley's songwriter. He was also a producer, he was credited with helping the young careers of acts like Jimi Hendrix and Barry White, and he wrote the theme song for "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

From the Nocturno website and Marco Giusti that Italian cinematographer and assistant director Franco Villa passed away on October 12, 2009. Villa was a photographer and cinematographer on over 20 Eurowesterns in the '60s and '70s. He did a lot of his work with Fernando di Leo and most of his westerns were second tier or 'B' films.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

MADRID (AP) Director, screenwriter and actor Paul Naschy, one of Spains most popular actors of the Spanish horror films died Tuesday, December 1st in Madrid. He was 75. No cause of death was reported.Relatives of Naschy indicated that the performer, whose real name was Jocinto Molina Alvarez, will be buried Wednesdy in Burgos, Europa Press reported.The so-called Spanish Lon Chaney “acted in over 100 films and television series, wrote 39 screenplays and directed 14 films. He played numerous figures in the classic horror films such as the werewolf, hunchback, Count Dracula and the mummy. Born on September 6, 1934 in Madrid, Naschy was licensed as an architect and was seven times Spanish weightlifting champion. He made his film debut in 1967 in “The Mark of the Werewolf.” His credits include “"Carnival of Beasts" (1980), "Panic Throbbing" (1983), "The Howl of the Devil” (1987) and" Madrid al desnudo "(1979), among many other titles. The Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) has expressed deep sorrow in the passing of actor, and a partner of the entity since 1968. Naschy, received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts in 2001, died shortly before the premiere of "The Valdemar Inheritance" by José Luis German, scheduled for January 22, 2010 where he was to be honored at the Independent Film Festival XIII and Fantastic Toledo.

Monday, November 30, 2009

The Experimental Center of Cinematography remembers with affection and emotion Bruno Pupparo, a former student and teacher at the National School of Cinema who died prematurely on November 30, 2009. Born in Rome on July 28, 1959, Bruno Pupparo graduated with honors at the CSC as a sound engineer. Since 1988 he was professor of "filming technique of sound" and, since 1999, teacher mentor Section "Sound", in collaboration with Federico Savina, at the National School of Cinema. In 1986 he began his work in film, television and advertising. In addition to numerous commercials, he worked on the construction of over one hundred feature films, working with numerous directors including: Pupi Avati, Marco Bellocchio, Roberto Benigni, Sergio Citti, Cristina Comencini, Roberto Faenza, Carlo Lizzani, Gabriele Muccino, Giuseppe Piccioni, Michele Placido, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Paolo Virzi and Carlo Verdone. In 2007 he won the David di Donatello award for Best Sound for the film "My Brother is an Only Child" by Daniele Luchetti.

Tony Kendall, whose real name was Luciano Stella, died November 28 in Rome in a hospital in Trigoria, after a serious illness. He was born August 22, 1936, and had to his credit over 50 popular films from the sixties until the eighties after starting his career as a model and in fotoromanzi. He changed his name to Tony Kendall at the suggestion of Vittorio De Sica.

He made his debut in 1959, acting under his own name in “Femminie Tre Volte”, but then had to wait some years for a major role, in “Brennus Enemy of Rome”,1963, where he first used the Tony Kendall name. He was also known as a part of a double act with Brad Harris in several action movies, starting with “The Pirates of the Mississippi”. After the success of the Bond films and the German Jerry Cotton series, Kendall became a star in the seven films in which he played a private eye Joe Walker, aka Commissioner X, while Harris played his foil, police captain Tom Rowland.

Then, following the successful television series of “Batman”, Harris and Kendall were together again in “The Three Fantastic Superman”, 1967. Kendall’s work ranged across numerous genres, from horror to giallo, with his last appearances being in “On the Dark Continent” in 1993 and “Alex l’ariete” in 2000.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Original ‘Palos’ Bernard Bonnin dies By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ November 23, 2009, 11:34am The local entertainment industry has lost yet another of its veteran actors in Bernard Bonnin who passed away Saturday, Nov. 21. He was 70.

Bonnin, whose death came two days after Johnny Delgado’s demise on Nov. 19, died of multiple organ failure due to diabetes.

A week prior, the actor was confined due to a stroke.

Concerns about the health of the former LVN star hit the headlines a few years back when he suffered a stroke that required him to use a wheel chair thereafter.

Bonnin, the half-Spanish father of beauty queen Charlene Gonzales-Muhlach and actor Richard Bonnin, catapulted to fame via the movie “Palos,” which was the Philippine version of “James Bond.” ABS-CBN remade “Palos” into a TV series in 2008 starring Jake Cuenca and with Bonnin in a support role.

Dubbed the “Pretty Boy of the 60s,” Bonnin starred in over 170 movies in a career that spanned four decades. Some of these films were “Gagamba,” “Ako ang Lalagot sa Hininga Mo,” “Code Name: Bomba,” “Target: Captain Karate,” and his first film, “Ay Pepita.”

Bonnin has a son with former love team Lourdes Medel, and two more with non-showbiz wife, Digna, whom he was living with at the time of his death.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Richard Carlyle, March 20, 1914 – Nov. 15, 2009, movie, television and Broadway star, has died. He was 95.

He had a long time career going back to the 1950s appearing in a variety of theater productions and as a character actor on numerous television series. He was Rezin Bowie in “The Iron Mistress” in 1952 and Commander Don Adams in the 1959 Oscar-nominated war drama “Torpedo Run” starring Glenn Ford.

But it is Star Trek fans that might remember him most for his role as Lt. Karl Jaeger in the original 1967 Star Trek series episode “The Squire of Gothos.” And it is the Star Trek connection that seems to be intertwined with so much of Carlyle’s career.

First, Carlyle was a long-time member of the Los Angeles theater company, Theatre West, where several Star Trek veterans were involved including: Jim Beaver (Star Trek: Enterprise), Jim Beaver’s wife, Cecily Adams (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Barry Jenner (Deep Space Nine), Hal Lynch, Lee Meriwether and Malachi Throne, the last of which – Throne – was originally offered the role of Dr. McCoy but had turned it down but still appeared in three episodes of “Star Trek: The Original Series.”

Second, Carlyle also appeared in the drama series, “Studio One” (1950s) where he co-starred with DeForest Kelley. Kelley, of course, did take on the role of Dr. McCoy. Richard Webb (Star Trek episode “Court Martial”) also co-starred. This was seventeen years before they all worked together in the Gothos episode.

In fact, throughout the 1950s, Carlyle worked with numerous actors who would become involved with Star Trek including Richard Kiley, Tige Andrews, Celia Lovsky and Paul Lambert. In 1959, Carlyle worked with Leonard Nimoy in the western series “26 Men.”

Even late in his career, Richard Carlyle remained intertwined with Star Trek. In 1990 he made a brief appearance in the comedy feature film “Going Under.” Also starring in the film were Star Trek: Voyager actress Wendy Schaal and Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Chris Demetral.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

DAVIDSON, William Donald - It is with great sadness the family announces the passing of our beloved Bill on Saturday, November 14, 2009. Predeceased by his parents William Burnett Davidson and Aileen Marguerite Davidson. Loving husband of Mary. Devoted father of Ann (Roy) and Wendy. Cherished grandfather of Tabitha. Bill began his career during the early days of the National Film Board and helped create, write and direct feature films, as well as youth programs at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, most notably RAZZLE DAZZLE, TIME OF YOUR LIFE and ADVENTURES IN RAINBOW COUNTRY. Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 from 3-4 p.m. at the GIFFEN-MACK 'DANFORTH' FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CENTRE, 2570 Danforth Ave. (at Main St. subway), 416-698-3121. In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to Skin Cancer Research at St. Michael's Hospital.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Paul William Harper, 76, passed away November 13, 2009, in Los Angeles, California following a brief illness. Memorial services will be held December 4, 2009, at the Van Nuys California Church of Christ.

Paul was born in Jackson, Tennessee, December 8, 1933, to Ernest R. and Ollie Poe Harper. He and his family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas when Paul was one month old, then to Abilene, Texas where he graduated from Abilene High School. Paul's abiding interest was drama and he was a student of the highly respected Ernest Sublett while attending Abilene, High.

A friend and fellow student of Paul's during this time said of him, "Paul Harper was better known for the last fifty years in Hollywood than in Abilene, his home town. Even as a teenager he was destined for the footlights by playing the "Love" interest in the famed state championship Abilene High Drama Department seeing as how he was obviously the most handsome lad in the class(1949-1952). "The Long Christmas Dinner" won the state championship for one act plays in '49. Perhaps he was best known in films as a character actor in some 30 odd films, like the character "Huey" in "The Wild Bunch." In television Paul gained iconic structure as the badmouthing Texans exclaiming "New York City?!?!" in the famous picante advertisement.

Paul graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in 1958, receiving a CFA in Drama. While attending UT, Paul studied under B. Iden Payne. Two of the characters he played while attending were Domain in the production "Love Labors Lost" and Stephano in "The Tempest." For several summers, Paul acted in various productions of the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Two of the characters he portrayed were Edar in "King Lear" and Patroclus in "Troilus and Gressida."

In 1969, Paul was on his way to Mexico to act in scenes for "The Wild Bunch" and He stopped by El Paso, Texas to visit and Abilene High friend and fellow thespian, Georgelynn Scoggins, who was a Television Anchor in El Paso. Later they became engaged and were married in El Paso.

Paul was a character actor and acted in many films and series. Among these were Kung Fu, J.W. Coop, Bonanza and The Waltons. One of his films "Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun," was one of the first virtual reality films and Paul had the only speaking part. Dressed as an old prospector, he coaxed a group of anxious passengers on to an old dilapidated-looking train waiting to take them for a wild ride. When they returned looking half dead, Paul, speaking in a broad Texas accent, which was easy for him being a Texan himself, invited him, "want to go agin?"

One day Paul took a visiting sister out to Universal City Park and suddenly she said, "Paul, I hear your voice. Is that you?" He laughed and took her over to the theater. Thrill ride was playing there and the sound track was being broadcast loudly over the whole Park.

Just the night before his death, his son David accompanied Paul to the fortieth anniversary of the motion picture "The Wild Bunch." Paul and Ernest Borgnine, on of Paul's oldest and best friends were two of the four actors in the picture still living. His lat night could not have been more perfect. He dressed in his finest western attire and was in his element with many of his motion picture friends. Paul got to walk the red carpet once more as the huge search lights lit he sky for his prestigious event. He was recognized for his achievement in "The Wild Bunch" which many say is the greatest western movie ever produced. Paul signed autographs until he became to tired to sign any more.

In his later years Paul volunteered with fellow actors to many causes, such as serving Thanksgiving dinner to those who may not have had a place to go. He also enjoyed being with family and friends and told endless dramatic and entertaining stories in a manner that only he could deliver.

Preceding him in death were his parents Ernest and Ollie Poe Harper, a sister, Ernestine (Teenie) Harper Wood, a brother-in-law, William B. Gililland, and his wife Georgelynn Scoggins Harper. Survivors include one son, David Harper of Valley Village, California, two sisters, Mary Nell Gililland of Abilene, Texas, and Ann Youree of Nashville, Tennessee, two nephews, David Harper Gililland of Abilene, Texas and Charles Youree, Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee and three nieces, Martha Sue Gililland Jobe of Heath, Texas, Margaret Ann Bohannan Casey of Abilene, Texas, and Linda Lee Youree Hudson of Nashville, Tennessee. He is also survived by many great nieces and nephews and numerous friends.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Ex-stuntman also appeared in 'Love Boat,' 'Charlie's Angels'By Gregg Kilday

Nov 16, 2009, 06:51 PM ETDennis Cole, a stuntman who rose to TV stardom in the 1966 series "Felony Squad" and went on to dozens of guest-starring appearances throughout the 1970s and '80s, died Sunday at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 69.

The cause of death was not released.

Although born in Detroit, Cole had the blond, athletic look of a quintessential California surfer, which earned him the attention of physique magazines and led to his casting as rookie detective Jim Briggs on "Felony." After that show's 2 1/2 year-run, Cole followed with the series "Bracken's World" and "Bearcats!" and a stint on the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless" that began in 1981.

Cole guest-starred on such series as "Medical Center," "Police Story," "The Love Boat" and "Charlie's Angels," where he met his second wife, Jaclyn Smith, to whom he was married from 1978-81.

He encountered tragedy in 1991 when his son Joe, from his first marriage to Sally Ann Bergeron, was murdered during a home invasion robbery. The case was never solved.

In recent years, Cole became a real estate broker in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Ree Cole, whom he recently divorced amicably. He is survived by his brother Richard.

Woodward, best known for his roles in cult horror film The Wicker Man and hit TV series Callan and The Equalizer, passed away in hospital after battling illnesses including pneumonia.

In a statement, his agent Janet Glass says: "Universally loved and admired through his unforgettable roles in classic productions such as Breaker Morant, The Wicker Man, Callan, The Equalizer and many more, he was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness.

"He was further sustained by the love of his wife, Michele, children, Tim, Peter, Sarah and Emily, his grandchildren and numerous friends. His passing will leave a huge gap in many lives." »

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Czech actor Jirí Holý died in Prague, Czech Republic on November 11th at 86. Originally Jirí was to be a professional designer, after graduating from Business College after two years of studying graphics and painting until the Nazis in 1939 closed the Czech universities. He played in amateur theaters, and finally after the 2nd World War became a professional actor. In films he played a large number of small roles and in TV episodes, especially at a younger age he often was seen in negative characters (antihero). He first played in various regional theaters (theater workers in Zlín, Opava, Pardubice), then many years later, he worked in the Prague Theater E. F. Burian. In regional theaters also occasionally worked as set designer and costume designer. In 1986 he retired and appeared only occasionally.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I just received word that Jack Kennelley of the Teen Kings died recently. I have no details except that he was in Littleton CO at the time. Jack went to Odessa High School with the Poor Boys but played for several years with the Teen Kings. I remember once when I was flippin' burgers at the old south side Otto's and he came in. He told me that Roy was changing the band name from the Wink Westerners to the Teen Kings to "keep current with the times" and had asked him (Jack) to be his bass player. Jack developed into a good upright bass player and Roy always had him sing "Sixteen Tons" at all of their shows and dances. Jack had a Tennessee Ernie Ford" type of deep resonant voice and at one time considered doing music ministry with the Baptist church. I don't know how many, if any, of Roy's recordings Jack was on but probably the Sun sessions at least. He went to Hollywood and was in some movies. Billed as "Jackson D. Kane", he was in "The Man Who Fell to Earth" with David Bowie and also was in one or two of the Clint Eastwood baboon movies. He also made TV commercials for GMC trucks. The last time I saw Jack was at a Rock 'n' Roll reunion in Odessa in 1989. He spent his childhood in Odessa in the 40's and 50's and everyone knew Jack Kennelley. He was considered one of the good guys. Jack Kennelley rest in peace.

Over four decades, he wrote jokes and scripts for 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'Taxi, 'Cheers' and many others.

By Dennis McLellan

5:20 PM PST, November 12, 2009

David Lloyd, an Emmy Award-winning television comedy writer who wrote the classic "Chuckles Bites the Dust" episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has died. He was 75.

Lloyd died of prostate cancer Tuesday at his home in Beverly Hills, said his son, writer-producer Christopher Lloyd.

"I do think he was the preeminent writer of television comedy," said Les Charles, co-creator of "Cheers," for which Lloyd wrote numerous episodes.

"If you consider how long his career was and how much he wrote for such really popular shows, he's got to have been responsible for a record number of laughs in this world," Charles said.

His four-decade comedy career began with writing jokes for Jack Paar on "The Tonight Show" in 1962 and included writing for "The Bob Newhart Show," "Phyllis," "Rhoda," "Lou Grant," "Taxi," "Frasier" and many other shows.

"He was a remarkable writer," said Allan Burns, who created "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" with James L. Brooks and began working with Lloyd when he moved to Hollywood from New York in 1974 to write for the series.

"The word 'wit' doesn't come up an awful lot when you're talking about television comedy, but that's what David was -- a genuine wit," said Burns. "And he was just remarkable in his ability to write wonderful stuff very quickly.

"I would sit at my desk and laugh out loud, which I don't do often. His drafts always made me laugh out loud and with such unexpected, off-the-wall humor."

Said Brooks: "From the moment he came out until now, he was the very best. I mean, I was saying the other day he was a one-man writing staff. The work was always that good and that witty. And it was extraordinary that it was that fast.

"He was a perfect writer and a great guy and was a major part of every show he was connected to."

Lloyd's most famous piece of writing is his Emmy Award-winning 1975 script “Chuckles Bites the Dust,” in which the WJM-TV news staff deals with the death of a Minneapolis TV station colleague: kiddie-show host Chuckles the Clown, who died while serving as grand marshal for a visiting circus.

As Ed Asner's Lou Grant informs the newsroom staff: "It was a freak accident. He went to the parade dressed as Peter Peanut . . . and a rogue elephant tried to shell him."

Chuckles' clown credo was "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants," and the reaction to his being crushed to death by an elephant quickly generates newsroom quips.

Although Mary thinks there is nothing funny about Chuckles' death, even she gets a case of uncontrollable giggles at the funeral for the man whose characters included Mr. Fee-Fi-Fo, Billy Banana and -- the preacher's particular favorite -- Aunt Yoo-Hoo.

"I think it was David's sort of mordant take on what is funny and what isn't," Burns said of the episode, "and that you can make death a subject and wring a lot of humor out of it. I mean, a lot. As people say, it's the funniest episode we ever did."

Said Brooks: "I think what made it memorable: We were laughing as hard on the stage as we ever did. It was a joy to do."

Burns said he feels the irony that Lloyd’s most famous TV episode dealt with death "and here we are mourning his death. And I wonder how funny a funeral it's going to be. I have an idea it's going to be funny, because that's what he'd want."

Born July 7, 1934, in Bronxville, N.Y., Lloyd majored in English at Yale. After graduating in 1956, he served in the Navy and began teaching English at Rutgers Preparatory School in New Jersey.

Lloyd had been writing plays in his spare time while writing jokes for Paar and then Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" and later for "The Dick Cavett Show" when he wrote a sample script for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

"The producer [on the series] was Ed. Weinberger, who said, 'I've got a guy in New York who could really help us,' " Burns recalled. "And he handed me a script that David had written for our show, and it was just spot-on. It was a shootable script, and I couldn't believe it. I said, 'Boy, do we need him.' "

In addition to his son Christopher, Lloyd is survived by his wife, Arline; and his other children, Julie, Stephen (also a writer and producer), Amy and Douglas; his sister, Sally Lloyd; and two grandchildren;

A funeral for Lloyd will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Cross Cemetery, 5835 W. Slauson Ave., Culver City.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Albert Elms was a pioneering contributor of incidental music to television and films in the 1950s and 1960s and a composer of military music.

He was born in Newington, Kent, in 1920 and, showing early musical promise, he joined the Royal Marines Band Service in Deal in 1934. He first went to sea in November 1937 and returned home in January 1939, having taken part in the evacuation of refugees from Valencia during the Spanish Civil War.

He spent the Second World War in light cruisers, including Arethusa, Ajax and Orion. While in Arethusa as part of the Royal Marines party serving the cruiser’s B-turret, he took part in the Norway evacuations in April 1940. In June that year he was also involved in the bombardment of Vichy French ships in Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria, ordered by Churchill to prevent their falling into German hands.

He then served on escort detail on Malta convoys throughout 1941. He was serving on the Orion when the Arethusa was torpedoed by aircraft in November 1942 and the entire Marine complement of B-turret perished.

His service career ended in 1949 and he found employment in Tin Pan Alley in Soho with Francis, Day and Hunter, where composition and arrangement of popular songs were the order of the day.

Extra earning opportunities arose when members of the public would arrive unannounced in Denmark Street singing a song or whistling a tune they had created which they wished to have scored for posterity. Sitting at the piano, Elms would coax the melody out of the client and write down the score for a fee of 15 shillings.

He then went freelance and composed incidental music for The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Richard Greene, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot starring Roger Moore, The Buccaneers and William Tell. In the 1960s film work included Bluebeard’s Ten Honeymoons (1960) starring George Sanders, The Breaking Point and Treasure in Malta.

For the BBC he wrote music for the series Thorndike. He scored the incidental music for The Champions and the hit series Man in a Suitcase as well as for 14 episodes of The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan.

In the 1970s Elms worked on the film version of the TV show Love Thy Neighbour and was musical director on The Benny Hill Show. But it was a return to writing military band music that occupied him for the rest of the decade. Wembley Way had been commissioned for the 100th FA Cup Final at Wembley in 1972, and Blaze of Light and On Parade were to follow. However, it was a meeting with the principal director of the Royal Marines School of Music, who, weary of the 1812 Overture, requested “something about Trafalgar” and the march Battle of Trafalgar received its premiere at the 1974 Royal Tournament and at the Mountbatten Festival of Music in 1975. It became a favourite of the Royal Marines Band Service and was also performed at St Paul’s Cathedral as an orchestral work with the Bach Choir conducted by Sir Charles Groves in 1981, and later at the Albert Hall at the bicentenary of Trafalgar in 2005.

Elms’s wife, Jo, predeceased him and he is survived by three sons.

Albert Elms, light music composer, was born on February 28, 1920. He died on October 14, 2009, aged 89

About Me

Born in Toledo, Ohio in 1946 I have a BA degree in American History from Cal St. Northridge. I've been researching the American West and western films since the early 1980s and visiting filming sites in Spain and the U.S.A. Elected a member of the Spaghetti Western Hall of Fame 2010.